Men of a Certain Age

CHICAGO – News last week of a separation between Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith may have been false, but the news that Jada’s current project “Hawthorne” and TNT are calling it quits is definitely true. “Hawthorne” or “HawthoRNe” has officially been dropped from the TNT lineup after three seasons on the air.

CHICAGO – Brian Tallerico guests on Bill Moller’s show on WGN-AM 720 Radio in Chicago on July 30th, 2011 to talk about upcoming programs including “Outnumbered,” “Bar Rescue,” and “Take the Money and Run,” along with recent news developments at TNT and AMC.

CHICAGO – TNT’s “Men of a Certain Age,” returning this week to finish out its second season with six episodes that the producers promise will be backed with character-driven drama, has quietly grown not just a loyal following but a reasonably strong critical foundation as well.

CHICAGO – Brian Tallerico guests on Bill Moller’s show on WGN-Radio in Chicago on May 28, 2011 to discuss new TNT premieres, “Men of a Certain Age” and “Franklin & Bash.”

CHICAGO – HollywoodChicago.com content director Brian Tallerico speaks with WGN Radio host Bill Moller on Feb. 26, 2011 about the cancel/renew status of new TV shows including “Detroit 1-8-7,” “Human Target,” “Fringe,” “Blue Bloods,” “The Defenders,” “Justified,” “The League,” and more.

CHICAGO – It has yet to approach the writing standards of the best television on the air right now but the stars of “Men of a Certain Age” continue to make it one of the more interesting programs on cable.

CHICAGO – There’s a reason beyond simple truth-in-titling that I put the names of the three stars of TNT’s “Men of a Certain Age,” of which the first season was recently released on DVD, in the headline of this review — they’re the reason to watch. Created by Romano and Mike Royce, “Men of a Certain Age” is an imperfect program with at least one perfect performance (Emmy nominee Braugher) and two that sometimes come close. The “Men” of the title are excellent and if the program around them ever rises to their standard it could become one of the best on television.

CHICAGO – The mid-life crisis of the modern man is mostly about ego - as the body goes downhill and the role of the alpha male is supplanted by a new version of himself, men kind of fall apart as they realize that their peak has arguably passed. Why would such an individual experience make for intriguing drama? Using the mid-life crisis as a jumping off point for drama would require some seriously well-drawn characters, the kind of guys who you root to come to terms with passing over that hill. “Men of a Certain Age” does not yet have those characters.